John Natalone
About John Natalone
John Natalone is Executive Vice President — Treasury and Servicing at Arbor Realty Trust (ABR). He has served in this role since 1995 and is responsible for managing all financing and bank relationships, overseeing Asset and Credit Risk Management, and leading Treasury and Servicing operations; he is also a member of Arbor’s loan committee . He previously served as Senior Director, Office of the President at Arbor National Holdings, Inc. (1991–1995), and earlier held positions at GE Mortgage and Ernst & Young . As of 2025, he is 59 years old .
Note: ABR’s proxy statements do not disclose company TSR/revenue/EBITDA performance specifically tied to Mr. Natalone; he is not listed as a Named Executive Officer (NEO) in recent Summary Compensation Tables .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. | EVP — Treasury & Servicing; Loan Committee member | 1995–present | Leads financing/bank relationships; oversees Treasury/Servicing; Asset & Credit Risk Mgmt |
| Arbor National Holdings, Inc. (predecessor) | Senior Director, Office of the President | 1991–1995 | Assisted President running various business units |
| GE Mortgage | Positions not specified | Not disclosed | Early-career roles prior to Arbor |
| Ernst & Young | Positions not specified | Not disclosed | Early-career roles prior to Arbor |
Fixed Compensation
- ABR’s proxies do not list Mr. Natalone among the Named Executive Officers (NEOs) in recent years; his salary and cash compensation are not itemized in the Summary Compensation Tables .
Performance Compensation
- Except for the CEO, ABR discloses that it does not utilize specific performance-based goals for NEOs and does not engage in formal benchmarking; the Compensation Committee sets targeted total compensation considering company context and recommendations from the CEO for other NEOs . ABR’s disclosed incentive mix for executives generally includes annual cash incentives and stock-based awards (restricted stock/RSUs), but Mr. Natalone’s specific targets, weightings, and payouts are not disclosed in the proxies .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 | FY 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common shares beneficially owned (Number) | 249,583 | 248,373 | 248,373 |
| Common shares beneficially owned (% of common) | * (less than 1%) | * (less than 1%) | * (less than 1%) |
| Special Voting Preferred shares beneficially owned (Number) | 3,819,170 | 3,739,009 | 3,739,009 |
| Special Voting Preferred shares beneficially owned (% of class) | 23.4% | 22.9% | 23.1% |
| Total voting stock beneficially owned (Number) | 4,068,753 | 3,987,382 | 3,987,382 |
| Total voting stock beneficially owned (% of total voting) | 2.0% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
- Footnote context: Certain shares are held in estate-planning vehicles for the CEO’s family (The KFT 2018 NY Trust; The KFT DT LLC) for which Mr. Natalone serves as co-trustee/manager together with another executive; he disclaims beneficial ownership over those securities .
- Stock ownership guidelines adopted March 6, 2025: NEOs must hold ABR stock equal to 5x base salary; other “Covered Officers” (including EVPs and Section 16 officers) must hold 2x base salary. Compliance by December 31, 2027; measured annually with defined valuation methodology .
- Insider policy prohibits hedging, pledging, and trading in derivatives of ABR securities for covered persons (which include executive officers) .
Employment Terms
- No individual employment contract for Mr. Natalone is disclosed in the proxies; ABR states that, other than the CEO, its NEOs are employed at will and do not have separate employment, severance, or change-of-control agreements, though restricted stock award agreements provide for accelerated vesting upon a change of control (NEO disclosure; Mr. Natalone is not listed as an NEO) .
- Clawback: ABR maintains an NYSE-compliant clawback enabling recovery of erroneously awarded incentive compensation to covered officers in the event of an accounting restatement .
- Insider trading policy: prohibits pledging/hedging and derivative transactions for covered employees (including executive officers) .
- Retirement/deferred comp programs are described for NEOs (401(k), deferred comp plan availability); no executive-specific details are disclosed for Mr. Natalone .
Additional Context on Equity Awards and Vesting (Company Policy)
- ABR’s stock-based awards are primarily restricted stock/RSUs that may vest immediately or annually over multi-year periods; awards receive cash dividends while unvested, further aligning incentives .
- The company has historically granted stock-based awards annually to executives with multi-year vesting schedules; timing is not tied to MNPI releases per stated practice .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Mr. Natalone’s meaningful voting interest (≈1.9% total voting power in 2024–2025) via common and OP unit–paired special voting preferred stock indicates durable alignment with shareholders, though portions are associated with estate planning vehicles for which beneficial ownership is disclaimed .
- Governance risk mitigants: Prohibitions on hedging/pledging reduce forced-selling/credit-risk overhang; NYSE-compliant clawback adds downside protection on restatements .
- Disclosure limits: He is not reported as an NEO in recent proxies; lack of itemized pay and performance metrics reduces transparency into his cash/equity mix and potential vesting-driven selling pressure. Monitor Form 4 filings and vesting calendars for emerging pressure points.
- Retention: Newly adopted stock ownership guidelines (2x salary for EVPs/Section 16 officers; 5x for NEOs) increase skin-in-the-game expectations by end-2027, supporting retention and alignment but potentially constraining discretionary sales during the compliance period .